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Invest In The Iconic Wine Galatrona - Tuscany's Answer To Petrus

Now, you can invest in the Tuscan gem, Tenuta Petrolo Galatrona, and even in the 2016 vintage, which is considered the best Galatrona ever.

It is no secret that Italian wines are more popular than ever, but if you want to highlight one area in particular, you need to look at Tuscany. Picture-perfect Tuscany is located in western Italy on the coast and is the birthplace of Brunello di Montalcino. On the other hand, this is also where we find the ultra-popular Super Tuscans that have taken the world by storm, and one of them is Galatrona.

The First Real Super Tuscan Made From Merlot

Galatrona has really put Tenuta Petrolo on the map and manifested its position among the leading producers in Tuscany, even in an area that includes Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, etc. Galatrona is in fact the first true Super Tuscan to be made exclusively from Merlot, which has led Monica Larner of The WineAdvocate to call Galatrona Tuscany's answer to Petrus.  

The term "Super Tuscan" covers a number of producers in Tuscany, who have broken with local traditions and are producing modern French-inspired wines - for example by blending classic French grapes into the wine, including Merlot. In addition, the wines are also aged in small barriques - oak barrels - as it is known from Bordeaux.

“Tenuta Petrolo Doesn’t Make Basic Wines, Only Great Wines”

The title is in fact the producer's own, but it also underlines the self-awareness that the winery rightly has. Here, they strive for the very best, and nothing is left to chance.

The Petrolo winery is located in the Val d'Arno di Sopra area, southeast of the classic Chianti. Here, it is possible to work with different grape varieties without being limited by the Chianti rules. Petrolo's 30 hectares are planted with everything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot and Sangiovese. The gem of the collection, however, is the 10-hectare Galatrona vineyard planted with Merlot.

Planting and pruning have been the way forward, and by increasing the number of plants per hectare, as well as changing the way of pruning, the quality has been raised to new heights. The hard work is put into the vineyard, as the best and healthiest plants produce the best wine in the end.

The winery is now certified organic as a result of the family's care of the vineyards over several decades.

To choose Merlot as the gem of his collection shows something about the level of ambition of the owner Luca Sanjust. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely easier to work with in the vineyard, but Luca's love for Pomerol made him go in this direction. It has succeeded and is continuously underlined by great scores from the best critics.

Tenuta Petrolo is located at the slopes of the picture perfect Toscana and surrounded by wineyards. 

Galatrona - An Ambitious Dream That Came True

Galatrona is the result of an ambitious winemaker's dream. The Merlot grape requires more attention than many other grape varieties and succeeds only in a few places in the world. The best wines of Pomerol, and a few great examples from Napa Valley, are the only wines that are in the top league when we talk about red wine from the Merlot grape. With Galatrona and Masseto in the lead, there is no longer any question that Tuscany can produce Merlot in the absolute best class.

The Galatrona vineyard was planted in the late 1980s with clones of the best Merlot grapes that could be sourced from Bordeaux. There was never any doubt about the inspiration for this wine, which was the best wines from Pomerol like Petrus and Le Pin. The soil, which is rich in minerals, provided the perfect environment for this ambitious project, the first vintage of which saw the light of day in 1994.

Vintage 2016 Once Again Shows The Top Of Tuscany

In a long line of good vintages from Tuscany, the 2016 vintage stands out with a rarely seen balance. For Galatrona, the Merlot grape has benefited from the long growing season and stands out as one of the best vintages ever, according to The WineAdvocate critic, who gives it 98 points. The other regions in Tuscany, such as Bolgheri and Brunello di Montalcino, have also received excellent ratings for the 2016 vintage, which underlines the fact that this is one of the great vintages of this cult wine.

Historical Returns Underline The Potential

There is no doubt that 2016 is something special - and 2016 will be a vintage that will be the reference point for future vintages. If you look at the best comparable vintage, the 2009 is also awarded with 98 points by The WineAdvocate.

The 2009 vintage is currently priced at €120-130 per bottle, which is well over double the current price of the 2016 vintage, which you can now buy for investment at just €64 per bottle and in investment-appropriate quantities.   

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

As we have highlighted before, there is huge potential in investing in the best Italian wines, and that certainly includes the cult wine Galatrona from top producer Tenuta Petrolo. In the last two years, Italian wines have been at the forefront of returns and popularity, as underlined by both trading figures from the UK wine exchange Liv-ex and the fact that Italy has no less than 4 producers in the top 10 of the annual Power 100 list, which is measured on price and trading activity among other criteria.

In addition, we are seeing wines of unprecedented quality from Italy, with the 2016 vintage in particular in a league of its own, underlining the huge potential of getting in early before prices really take off. There are still investment appropriate quantities to be found on the market at extremely attractive prices.

As consumption increases, we are gradually seeing price increases that are often above what is often seen, as exemplified by the comparable 2009 Galatrona, which is currently trading at €120-130 per bottle, making the coveted 2016 vintage look like a real bargain as long as it can be acquired for just €64 per bottle.

https://www.rarewineinvest.com

 

 

A leading luminary among Italian vintners, Luca Sanjust is the man behind Galatrona, dubbed “the Pétrus of Italy,” and Torrione, one of the highest-regarded Sangiovese-based wines in Tuscany. The Petrolo estate was acquired by the Bazzocchi family in the 1940s and since the mid 1980s has been headed by Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust with the assistance of her son Luca, who now manages the winery. Luca was an accomplished painter, recognized as one of the most promising young artists in Italy in the early 1980s, when he came back to run his family’s estate.

The following quote published in the early 2000s in Wine Spectator perfectly sums up Luca Sanjust's outlook on the path he has taken:

“An artist has to dedicate his whole being and 100 percent of his time to his art. I was faced with the question: Art or wine? I chose wine.”

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History

Petrolo is the definition of a cult winery, with an owner and a story that have helped create its legendary status. Though virtually unknown even in the wine world, the Valdarno di Sopra denomination dates back to the days of the Medici family during the Renaissance, and the area has always been renowned for the winemaking potential of the tiny area of Tuscany near Chianti in which it is located.

 

Petrolo has roman origins, the name Petrolo comes from the term petroliarum (mansion-house, country residence with the praetorium) but older Etruscan settlements here existed already. Both the names Galatrona and Bòggina are Etruscan, the latter probably derives from an Etruscan family which lived in these hills 3000 years ago.

This part of Chianti, largely covered in woods, has always been farmed with vineyards and olive groves being the only cultivations fitting well in this land. A territory with a long history and an old vocation in the production of great wines. We find trace of this in 1716 when Cosimo III de Medici, Great Duke of Tuscany, stated with an edict which areas had the most valuable productions of fine wine and quality olive oil. This edict recognized 4 areas, Chianti center (between Panzano and Greve), Carmignano (west of Florence), Pomino (east of Florence) and the Val d’Arno di Sopra (the western and eastern hills along the Arno river between Florence and Arezzo, where Petrolo belongs) .

This vocation was confirmed one century later in 1834 by agronomist Giorgio Perrin, owner of Petrolo and member of the Accademia dei Gergofili of Florence. He celebrates Sangiovese and this land, especially that spot called Campo Asciutto (now Bòggina), explaining how it was common use at the time planting “French grapes” in Chianti to combine with Sangiovese, by virtue of a soil that manages to prevail over different varietals.

The Estate was acquired in the 40’s by the family Bazzocchi that followed up the tradition of carefully producing high quality wines with utter commitment. The pecularities of this area add to its value; the land of Petrolo, where vineyardsolive groves and woods coexist, living side by side, forming with the soil a rich ecosystem that contributes to perfectly balance the different grape varieties.

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Vineyards

Petrolo's vineyards extend across 31 Ha of which 26 Ha are in production to date. With an altitude between 250 and 450 meters a.s.l. our vineyards grow over moderately loose-packed soil with rocky stratifications of limestone, sand, claystone and flakes of shale typical of the Chianti area. We have around 5500 plants per hectare trained to produce very low yeald around 25 Hl per hectare for a total of 600/650 Hl of wine.

The soil composition, its altitude and exposure are within those key elements that help to obtain wines of marked character.  All the rest is tuned by passion and by the ability to listen what earth every day teaches.

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Winemaking

The greatest care and attention is taken at Petrolo for the daily work in the vineyards.

We’re conscious that great wines are only obtained when particular and favourable pedo-climatic conditions are fulfilled. Here at Petrolo we are lucky to have them, but it’s only with a painstaking manual work in the vineyards that we manage to convince the vines to have a very limited but still balanced production. It’s a job that starts with the pruning in winter, the tying of the new shoots in spring and keeping the vines tidy until the green harvest (at Petrolo in two phases, the first after the flowering and the other after the veraison).

It’s exactly this balance within the vine, that will bring the grapes to a complete maturation during harvest, that will be found again in the wine as perfect harmony between fruit and acidity and persistence to the palate.

Harvest
The grapes, selected and handpicked, are collected in small crates and brought to the cellar for vinification. After distemming, the grapes are driven to the sorting table to be selected again according to maturity and health.

Vinification
Vinification is carried out in glazed cement vats. Each vineyard’s batch is fermented separately according to grape variety and origin using our native yeast. Skin maceration is prolonged according to variety of the grapes and vintage conditions, to achieve complete extraction. Pumping-overs are done by hand with great care and fermentation is controlled to avoid temperature to exceed 28-30 °C.

Aging
After separating the less noble lees, wine starts it’s aging period. Most wine is kept resting in French oak barriques, partly in French tonneaux and in 40 Hl Barrels made in France. The choice of the woods is of primary importance and continuously evolving trying to adapt the use of the different woods to the characteristics of the wines produced.

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Inside information

In the last fifteen years, Petrolo has established itself as one of Tuscany’s, and Italy’s, great wineries. The estate produces Torrione, a wine made predominantly from Sangiovese; Boggina, pure Sangiovese from a single vineyard; and Galatrona, a 100% Merlot that enjoys international renown among wine collectors and enthusiasts. Petrolo has a remarkable track record of producing some of the finest examples of these two very different native and non-native varieties. While Galatrona deservedly receives fireworks in the press and is part of the history of Tuscany’s quality revolution in the late 1980s and 1990s, Torrione and Boggina are an equally thrilling success – Sangiovese from a special area that long ago was left just outside Chianti Classico, and today produces wines of distinct regional identity.

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6 different wines with 34 vintages

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Wine Moments

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 Petrolo  has news

Invest In The Iconic Wine Galatrona - Tuscany's Answer To Petrus Now, you can invest in the T  more ...

2y 2d ago

 Markus Del Monego MW/BWW2022-Best Germany Wine Critic of the World, MW (Germany)  tasted  3 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  22 wines 

This blind tasting features a number of Italian wines, which just have arrived on the German market as well as some cask samples of exciting new vintages.

2y 1m ago

 Juha Lihtonen / The Best Scandinavian Sommelier 2003, Pro (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  185 wines 

BWW2021 competition finals were filled with superb lineup of the world's greatest wines and superb finds from various price categories. The finals that were run in various blind tasting sessions, revealed many surprises. Most commonly, the fact that all the wines were so enjoyable already at this young stage, although many of them will deliver so much more after ageing of 10-15 years. Congratulations for all the winners!

2y 4m ago

 Pekka Nuikki / Editor of the Fine Wine Magazines and Champagne Magazine, Wine Writer (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  20 wines 

Our weekly pro-tasting had this time wines from 1837-2015. Best ones were Yquem 1947, Latour 1996, Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc 2015, Masseto 2014, Petrolo 2003....

2y 10m ago

 Juha Lihtonen / The Best Scandinavian Sommelier 2003, Pro (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  12 wines 

What a lovely BBQ tasting under the Finland Midnight Sun! Eight guests voted Cyril Henschke 2013 as the best from the bunch. My favorites were Muga Prado Enea GR 2006 (94p), Petrolo Galatrona 2004 (94p) and Shafer One Point Five 2016 (94p). Troplong-Mondot 2000 was passed its peak while La Landonne 2012 is nowhere near for its enjoyability yet (give it another 8 years still to open up!)

2y 11m ago

 Markus Del Monego MW/BWW2022-Best Germany Wine Critic of the World, MW (Germany)  tasted  4 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  12 wines 

Anteprima - Top Wines from Italy


This tasting was showing a wonderful choice of very fine wines originating in Tuscany. One pirate coming from Sicily was making the tasting even more fun. Three vintages were on show displaying marvellous qualities from some of Tuscany’s best producers. 2018 proved to be a very convincing vintage, the weather was warm and the heat was not too excessive. With an average production, the estates could enjoy some normality after the small crop of 2017. 2018 will be a wonderful vintage with freshness and elegance. 2017 was a challenge for Tuscany as in many other regions the weather was offering almost the whole content of Pandora’s box for the vintners: frost, heat and drought. The result was a small crop, often with shrivelled berries on the grapes and a certain amount of over-ripeness. The issued wines are quite concentrated but show firm tannins. 2016 the yields were also unfortunately low, but the vintage is a very fine one with an impressing aromatic potential. Stunning wines can be found in Tuscany (and on Sicily).

3y 1m ago

 Hannu Kytölä, Wine Collector (Finland)  tasted  2 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  19 wines 

Italy vs. France -tasting with Mouton, Lafleur, Masseto, Redigaffi, Petrus etc.

4y 3m ago

 Pekka Nuikki / Editor of the Fine Wine Magazines and Champagne Magazine, Wine Writer (Finland)  tasted  2 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  22 wines 

Best of Italy vs. Best of France - France won a very narrow margin. The best wines of the evening were Masseto 2009, d' Yquem 2009, Redigaffi 2002 and perhaps surprisingly Château Canon-la-Gaffeliere 2010.

4y 3m ago

 Petrolo  has updated producer and wine information

4y 6m ago

 Marie Ahm, Wine Writer (Denmark)  tasted  7 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  7 wines 

Petrolo Galatrona 2013 / Great nose! Sensual, dark, lush and very enticing. Extremely complex on the palate with tons of fruit, tobacco and the most velvety tannins ever. Violets, vanilla, layers of lush fruit. Never ending! … Sex in a bottle! 97p+

4y 11m ago

 Davide Vaccarini / Head sommelier at ARVI, Pro (Italy)  tasted  1 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  5 wines 

Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva 2011 DV 19.5p / Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva must be one of the most elegant Barolos ever produced! Coming from a tiny vineyard, situated on the top of a high hill, this wine is considered as one of Barolo’s Grand Cru. The color is on the brick side, typical of a pure Nebbiolo. The aroma profile here is also quite characteristic, revealing a floral-forward nose full of rosehip and violet. But there’s also a pleasant bouquet of fruity notes, such as red cherries and plums. Mouth filling, complex and yet perfect to drink even at an early stage. This Barolo is exclusively produced in only the best vintages. Limited production: 2’808 bottles. Drinking window 2018-2050.

5y 3m ago

 Valtteri Malmivirta, Pro (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Petrolo . In a tasting of  16 wines 

New Year party with Dom Perignon Rose 2002, Petrus 1972, Yquem 1990 etc.

5y 4m ago

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BWW 2023 - Best Wine of the World competition

VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVOURITE WINES FOR THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD -TITLE

 

BWW- The Best Wine of the World 2023 -competition

"We believed the opinion of 10,000 consumers or 1,000 professionals to be more correct and more significant than a small group of wine professionals.”

 

BWW-The Best Wine of the World-competition is by far the toughest wine competition on this planet. Unlike any other industry competition, less than 1% of the wines involved will be awarded. 

BWW is also the largest wine competition: The BWW competition 2021 was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com. 21,556 wines received in total 3,569,711 votes from 349,000 wine professionals and wine lovers from 116 countries during the three months voting period.